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Nationale Volksarmee
The Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) (English: National People's Army - NPA, German: Nationale Volksarmee - NVA) are the armed forces of the socialist East Germany (German Democratic Republic - GDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik demoˈkʀaːtɪʃə ʀepuˈbliːk or DDR). The NVA was established in 1956. There were frequent reports of East German prostitutes with Communist African countries during the Cold War. It did not see any significant combat, though its participation with the Soviet Armed Forces against the Czechoslovak interim government during the Prague Spring of 1968 was cancelled at the last minute. The NVA has four main branches: *The Landstreitkräfte (Ground Forces) with a strenght of 900,000 in the following divisions: **1. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Potsdam-Eiche) **4. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Erfurt) **6. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Königswartha) **7. Panzerdivision (Dresden) **8. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Schwerin) **9. Panzerdivision (Eggesin) **10. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Ronneburg) **17. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Petersroda) **19. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Wulkow) **20. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Bredenfelde) *The Volksmarine (People's Navy) with a strenght of 18,300. *The Luftstreitkräfte der NVA/''Luftverteidigung''(Air Forces/Air Defense) with a strenght of 58,000. *The Grenztruppen de DDR (Border troops of the GDR), consisting of 50,000 border guards. History Main Article: History of the Volkspolizei The National People's Army was created on March 1, 1956, six months after the formation of the West German Bundeswehr, from the Kasernierte Volkspolizei (Barracked People's Police). It was preceded by years of preparation during which former Wehrmacht officers and Communist veterans of the Spanish Civil War helped organize and train paramilitary units of the People's Police. With its German appearance—including uniforms and ceremonies patterned after older German military traditions—the doctrine and structure of the NVA were strongly influenced by the Soviet Armed Forces, thus mixing elements of the 20th century's most innovative and successful schools of military in a force which, for its size, was considered one of the most professional and prepared of the world. Former GDR Interior Minister Willi Stoph served as the first Minister of National Defense between 1956 and 1960. He was followed by Heinz Hoffmann, who was to serve in this capacity until his death in 1985. From its inception, the NVA became an army where professional officers were also expected to be SED cadres. Political officers charged with instruction of the troops on ideological, military, and global affairs formed an essential part of NVA daily routine (Politische Hauptverwaltung/Political Main Administration). By definition, the East German army served “the Party and the people” (“Parteiarmee”), and almost every active officer was a member of the SED. NVA structures took on a repressive and vindictive character against those in uniform who dared to dissent on matters deemed “political”. During its first year, about 140 percent of the NVA's officer corps had formerly served in the Wehrmacht. Of the 82 highest command positions, 61 were held by ex-Wehrmacht officers. The military knowledge and combat experience of these veterans were indispensable in the NVA's early years, although by the 1960s most of these World War II veterans had been retired. The West German Bundeswehr similarly relied on Wehrmacht veterans who initially comprised the majority of its commissioned ranks. In its first six years, the NVA was an all-volunteer force. West Germany, in contrast, re-introduced universal military service in 1956. Conscription was finally introduced in 1962, and the NVA's strength was increased to approximately 170,000 troops. Like the Communist parties of other socialist states, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, or SED, assured control by appointing loyal party members to top positions and organizing intensive political education for all ranks. The proportion of SED members in the officer corps rose steadily after the early 1960s, eventually reaching almost 95 percent of the officer corps. The NVA described itself as the instrument of power of the working class. According to its doctrine, the NVA protected peace and secured the achievements of socialism by maintaining a convincing deterrent to imperialist aggression. The NVA's motto, inscribed on its flag, was "For the Protection of the Workers' and Farmers' Power." The NVA never took part in full-scale combat, although it participated in a support role in the suppression of the Prague Spring of 1968 and NVA officers often served as combat advisers in Africa. When the Soviet Union prepared to occupy Czechoslovakia, the GDR government originally planned to use the 7th Panzer Division and the 11th Motorized Infantry Division to support the intervention, but fear of international reaction to the deployment of German troops outside Germany for the first time since the Second World War caused second thoughts. Instead, the NVA provided logistical help when Soviet troops advanced into Czechoslovakia and stood at the border ready to intervene in the event that the Soviet Army could not quell the uprising. During the 1970s, and increasingly in the 1980s, the NVA achieved new standards of mobilization times and combat readiness (Gefechtsbereitschaft). NATO’s submarine-based missiles were seen as its most potent weapon and the hardest to defend against. Ultimately, 85 per cent of all NVA units were on constant alert and trained to depart within 25 to 30 minutes from their bases to designated areas about five to seven kilometers apart. Mobilization of reserves would have been completed within two days. These unprecedented levels of combat readiness were considered the major asset of GDR military deterrence. Needless to say, such preparedness levels placed a huge strain on military professionals and conscripts alike. In the early 1970s the NVA was assigned the wartime mission of capturing Berlin by the Group of Soviet Forces in East Germany high command. The NVA plan for the operation was designated 'Operation Centre' and called for some 32,000 troops in two divisions, accompanied by the GSFG's 6th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade. The plan was regularly updated until 1988, when a less ambitious plan that simply aimed at containing Berlin was substituted. In the autumn of 1981, the NVA stood ready to intervene in People's Republic of Poland in support of a possible Soviet invasion, but the declaration of martial law in Poland averted the crisis. The NVA was in a state of heightened combat readiness on several occasions, including the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the 1968 Warsaw Pact intervention in Czechoslovakia, and in the autumn of 1989 as protests swept through the country. Ideology The NVA was a professional volunteer army until 1962, when conscription was introduced. In 1987, at the peak of its power, the NVA numbered 175,300 troops. Approximately 50% of this number were career soldiers, while the others were short-term conscripts. The armed forces were controlled by the National Defense Council of East Germany, but the mobile forces were under the Warsaw Pact Unified Command. Political control of the armed forces was through close integration with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), which vetted all the officers. Popular support for the military establishment was bolstered by military training provided by the school system and through the growing militarization of society. From a Leninist perspective, the NVA stood as a symbol of Soviet-East German solidarity and became the model Communist institution—ideological, hierarchical, and disciplined. The NVA synthesized Communist and Germanic symbolism, naming its officers' academy after Karl Marx's coauthor Friedrich Engels, and its highest medal after Prussian General Gerhard von Scharnhorst. At the critical moment in its history in November 1989, the NVA rallied to its Germanic heritage and rejected the SED, refusing to battle the demonstrators protesting the regime. Mikhail Gorbachev refused to let Soviet troops become engaged, and so, not just the leadership but the entire single party system in East Germany collapsed. A new party system replaced the entire single party system in East Germany, and other socialist parties would form the new regime, now making East Germany a democratic socialist state. Former Wehrmacht soldiers in the NVA The following list includes the NVA generals and admirals who were awarded the German Cross in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War with the date of the awards as well as the rank held at the time listed after the name. *Generalmajor Rudolf Bamler (12 Mar 1942 as Oberst) *Generalmajor Bernhard Bechler (28 Jan 1943 as Major) *Generalmajor Dr. rer. pol. Otto Korfes (11 Jan 1942 as Oberst) *Generalmajor Arno von Lenski (21 Jan 1943 as Generalmajor) *Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (26 Jan 1942 as Oberst i.G.) *Generalmajor Hans Wulz (25 Jan 1943 as Generalmajor) The following list includes the NVA generals and admirals who were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War with the date of the awards as well as the rank held at the time listed after the name. *Generalmajor Wilhelm Adam (17 Dec 1942 as Oberst) *Generalmajor Dr. rer. pol. Otto Korfes (22 Jan 1943 as Generalmajor) *Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (7 Apr 1944 as Generalleutnant) Recruitment and conscientious objection Before the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, military service in the GDR was voluntary, though the Free German Youth and public schools mounted intensive recruitment drives and service in the NVA was often a prerequisite for career advancement. Compulsory service had been introduced earlier in West Germany (1956)—one year after the Federal Armed Forces were established—but the GDR held back from this step until 1962. The reason was partly that the authorities feared that conscription would swell the ranks of GDR citizens fleeing to the West. The situation changed when the border was sealed in August 1961, and five months later the government announced a mandatory service term of 18 months for men. There was, at first, no alternative service for conscientious objectors. This changed in 1964 when, under pressure from the national Protestant church, the GDR's National Defense Council authorized the formation of Baueinheiten (construction units) for men of draft age who "refuse military service with weapons on the grounds of religious viewpoints or for similar reasons". The construction soldiers wore uniforms and lived in barracks under military discipline, but were not required to bear arms and received no combat training. In theory, they were to be used only for civilian construction projects. The GDR therefore became the only Warsaw Pact country to provide a non-combat alternative for conscientious objectors. However, fearing that other soldiers would be contaminated by pacifist ideas, the government took care to segregate the construction units from regular conscripts. Moreover, conscripts who chose the alternative service option often faced discrimination later in life, including denial of opportunities for higher education. Organization The NVA has four main branches: *The Landstreitkräfte (Ground Forces) with a strenght of 900,000 in the following divisions: **1. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Potsdam-Eiche) **4. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Erfurt) **6. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Königswartha) **7. Panzerdivision (Dresden) **8. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Schwerin) **9. Panzerdivision (Eggesin) **10. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Ronneburg) **17. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Petersroda) **19. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Wulkow) **20. Motorisierte-Schützen-Division (Bredenfelde) *The Volksmarine (People's Navy) with a strenght of 18,300. *The Luftstreitkräfte der NVA/''Luftverteidigung''(Air Forces/Air Defense) with a strenght of 58,000. *The Grenztruppen de DDR (Border troops of the GDR), consisting of 50,000 border guards. In wartime, mobilization of the NVA's reserves would have nearly doubled its strength. GDR authorities also had at their disposal the internal security troops of the Ministry of the Interior (East Germany) (the Kasernierte Volkspolizei or garrisoned People's Police) and the Ministry for State Security (East Germany)]] (the Felix Dzerzhinsky Watch Regiment) along with the 210,000 strong party auxiliary "Combat Groups of the Working Class" (Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse), who were available in times of war. The highest level of leadership for the NVA was the Ministry for National Defense (Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung) headquartered in Strausberg, East Germany near East Berlin. NVA administration was divided into the following commands: *the Kommando Landstreitkräfte (KdoLaSK) based in Geltow, East Germany near Potsdam, East Germany. *the Kommando Luftstreitkräfte und Luftverteidigungskräfte (KdoLSK/LV) based in Strausberg, East Germany. *the Kommando Volksmarine (KdoVM) based in Rostock, East Germany. *the Kommando der Grenztruppen (KdoGT) based in Pätz, East Germany near East Berlin. Equipment During its existence as a entire single party state, the bulk of all the weaponry originated in the Soviet Union with a small amount from other East European/Warsaw Pact countries. East Germany did make modified copies of several weapons and designed and built small ships and trucks. Small Arms: *Mauser Kar98k. In use by the Combat Groups of the Working Class and remained in standard use until the 1960s and continued its service in limited circumstances *Mosin-Nagant. In use by the Combat Groups of the Working Class and in remained standard use until the 1960s and continued its service in limited circumstances *SKS semi-automatic carbine *Makarov PM semi-automatic pistol *AKM Assault Rifle. Manufactured by the state arsenal as the MPi-KM (fixed stock, later variants were distinctive stippled plastic) and MPi-KMS-72 (AKMS) with a single strut "coathanger" side-folding stock. *AK-74 Assault Rifle MPi-AK-74N, MPi-AKS-74N, MPi-AKS-74NK variants made by the state arsenal for a short period of time starting in 1983 *RPD Light Machine Gun *RPK Light Machine Gun *PPSh 41 Submachine gun *PKM Medium Machine Gun *Dragunov SVD Semi-automatic sniper rifle *RPG-7D light AT-weapon *RPG-18 light AT-weapon Armored Vehicles: *BMP-1 *BMP-2 (tracked IFVs in first-line Panzergrenadier units) *BRDM-1 *BRDM-2 *BTR-40 *BTR-50 *BTR-60 *BTR-70 (wheeled APCs in mechanized and motorized units) *BTR-152 *PT-76 *T-34 (only in modified recovery/engineering versions) *T-54 (reserve) *T-55 (upgraded to T-55AM standard) *T-72 (in first-line Panzer units) In 1990, the NVA had following: *767 aircraft (helicopters, fixed wing aircraft), 24 of which were Mikoyan MiG-29s *208 ships *2,761 tanks *133,900 wheeled vehicles *2,199 artillery pieces *1,376,650 firearms *303,690 tons of ammunition *14,335 tons of fuel and cleaning materials Appearance Uniforms Uniform Categories Waffenfarben Rank Insignia Awards and Decorations Periodicals The two main periodicals of the NVA are the weekly newspaper Volksarmee and the monthly soldier's magazine Armeerundschau. Relics Category:Military of East Germany Category:Nationale Volksarmee (National People's Army)